Need to increase use of jute products at domestic market

At a roundtable jointly organized by the Bangla daily Prothom Alo and CARE Bangladesh held at the newspaper’s office in the capital, where the textiles and jute ministry officials, representatives of government and NGOs, jute factory owners, manufacturers and farmers participated yesterday, speakers said that producing diversified jute products and increasing the products’ use at the domestic market can bring back the past glory of jute.

They recommended establishing a jute products’ design development centre and taking a long-term work plan for the industry’s development, while mentioning seed crisis, unavailability of raw materials and not getting fair price of jute as the main barriers.

Mirza Azam, state minister for textiles and jute, said that the government will take necessary steps for the industry’s development, and a design institute will also be established for the development of producing diversified jute products.

Nasima Begum, joint secretary of the ministry, said that if they use their own product, the jute industry will be developed.

Humayun Khaled, former chairman of BJMC, asked for the government’s intervention on fair price of jute for farmer.

One of the challenges of jute cultivation is to get good quality seeds, said Anowarul Haq, director of extreme rural poverty programme of CARE Bangladesh.

Sekhar Bhattacharjee, team leader of SWITCH Asia Jute Value Chain Project, said that jute is a green product, so they need to campaign for its publicity. Besides, all of the stakeholders need to work together and also a long-term work plan is required.

However, if the government implements the “Jute Policy-2014 some of the problem of the jute industry can also be solved.